Villagers abducted for ransom in West Darfur

Five people were abducted in Abu Rumayl village in West Darfur on Sunday. The kidnappers demand a ransom of SDG350,000. “On Sunday, militiamen abducted five citizens in Abu Rumayl in Kolbus locality. Three of them were released later”, a listener from the area told Radio Dabanga. “These government-backed gunmen kept El Nur Adam Abdallah and Yahya Ishag Abdallah, demanding SDG350,000 ($61,100) for their release. “They threaten to torch the villages of Abu Rumayl and Manjoura, if the ransom is not paid.” The militiamen pillaged Abu Rumayl before, after one of them had been killed in the area, the source explained. Eisa Hassanein, the commander of the troops stationed in Sirba locality, had demanded blood money. “When the money was not paid, they raided the village,” the listener said. He confirmed that the commissioners of the localities of Sirba, Jebel Moon, and Kolbus met with the people in the region, and asked them to pay the ransom. The citizens refused, and instead appealed to the West Darfur State government to intervene, release the abductees, deter the militiamen, and bring them to justice. File photo: Militia troops in Darfur Related: Hotelier kidnapped in South Darfur capital (23 June 2014)